Doctor Who: The Bootstrap Paradox
by YuriGagarinSpace
Summary: The Bootstrap Paradox is where an action in the past causes the individual effected by the action to go back in time, causing the action in the first place. The Doctor, upon receiving a strange package from a future version of himself, sets upon trying to figure out the true purpose of him interfering with his own time stream in such a way. No Doctor in particular.


A very long time ago, I sat in my TARDIS twiddling my sonic screwdriver between my fingers. I'm not sure which face this was, though. Could have been any, could even have been last week.

Anyway, this was when I got a knock on my door. Outside was a man with outstanding dress sense. I won't go into detail, as i can't overly remember much.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor!" he said,

"No you're not, I am!" I snapped in return,

"We both are,"

Of course, I stood in confusion. It always happens when I meet myself, however it passes.

"Alright, you'll be needing this," I said ~ he said, handing me a strange dusty box. On top, a stamp.

"What have you given me this for?" I ask,

"He simply smiled, waved, and walked away.

In the distance, I heard the wooshing of the TARDIS.

I hurriedly shut my TARDIS doors, and look for a place to lay down my new box - nowhere. I placed it on the ground and pulled off the dusty lid. Inside the box, there was a metal skeleton key. I licked it with the tip of my tongue.

"Standard key metals really. If I'm not mistaken, I'd say this was made about a hundred years ago!" I look up. My friend, my companion who I usually would wait for an amazed response, was gone. All that was heard was the echo of my own voice. I sighed, and returned to my examination.

"A letter!"

I folded open the softened paper, reading what's inside.

"Dear Doctor, it is most unfortunate that I am going to interfere with my own time line. I..."

The rest was completely cut off, the paper appeared to be torn.

"Oh dear," I said aloud.

Interfering with my own time line, never good.

This was, as stated, a long time ago. I stored the box in a safe place, and eventually forgot, that's what happens when you cross your own time stream. However, a few years later I discovered the box again. I knew it would have been me who gave me the box, so I knew I could trust it. It seemed as though I was destined to go there and then, as I was influenced by my future self.

The time on the box, saying 8th of January, 2001. New Zealand.

"A moon, orbiting a planet named Zealand?" I pondered, "A city?"

An island appeared on the TARDIS's screen. It was a set of 2 or 3 islands near Australia, very green.

"Of course, Earth. When isn't it?"

I flipped the required switches, the TARDIS made her noises, and off I went to discover the origin of the box. Midway through the vortex, the TARDIS roared, shaking like an earthquake, throwing me to and from the console.

Until it stopped, and we landed.

"What was that about?" I said, stroking the console.

No answer, as usual.

I opened the TARDIS door, and peered outside.

The TARDIS and I sat outside a decrepit run down building in a small town. A strange high pitched dronging noise echoed out at me, almost deafening.

"There must be a band here," I said, squinting at the bright sunlit street. Not many people were out, however there were still a few, not enough to witness the TARDIS's rough landing.I approached the broken down house. I placed my ear close to the door.

Silence. A soft creak was heard, but barely enough to recognize, so quiet that it may have just been the mind playing tricks.

"Don't go in there," a voice said from behind me, "Aspestos,"

I turned around, a Maori girl, long black hair, stood with arms folded.

"Aspestos?" I said,

"Poison, gas,"

"I know what it is,"

"Then why did you ask?"

"Sometimes," I began, walking towards her, "Something is so dangerous, so terrifying, that you lie to hide the true horror that lies within,"

She simply stared at me with a raised eyebrow, "You saying there isn't any aspestos?"

I sniffed the air, looking around.

"I'm not saying there isn't. I'm saying i can't smell it,"

"It's not really easy to smell,"

I tapped my nose, "For you,"

"So, what's the deal with your box?"

"My... box?"

"It wasn't there before. Why'd you put it there - how did you put it there?"

I wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"I can answer, but I'm going to need some things,"

"Such as?"

"Litmus paper, an oxygen tank, and a cup of tea,"

"You checking the pH of tea?"

I nodded, then checked to see if the TARDIS was locked.

"What's your name?" she asked, she hadn't moved from the spot, "I'm not letting a stranger into my house,"

"I'm the Doctor!" I said with a smile.

"The Doctor?"

"Yep, just the Doctor,"

"That isn't a name,"

"Alright. John Smith,"

"That's a made up name,"

"All names are made up,"

"You weren't born with that name, I know that,"

I ran out of things to say, "Well, you're right about that. What's your name,"

"Maia,"

"Nice to meet you Maia, Doctor Smith," I reached out my hand to shake hers.

She simply smirked and turned around, "Come on, my house is this way,"

"I can't get you litmus or the oxygen tank, but I can get you a cup of tea,"

She brought over a hot cup, steam erupting upwards.

"Careful, it's hot,"

I put it to my mouth and began to drink, "Oooh, hot!"

"What did I say?" she didn't look too surprised anyway, "What do you need the paper for?"

"Checking for aspestos,"

"Well, what about the tank?"

"Ran out of my own,"

"Your own?" She scoffed, arms still folded tightly.

I scanned the room. Trinkets, photographs hanging from the walls, a rug, and a small box on the window sill.I hopped up, spilling a small amount of tea on the table. It was the same box I had been given.

"Yes," I said to myself, "The TARDIS must have taken me to the exact place where my timeline would intercept win it,"

"The TA... What?"

"This is going to be difficult to explain,"

"Well I've got time,"

I grabbed the box and placed it on the table. Inside was a bunch of wrapping.

"What?" I said, expecting a key and the letter, "Of course, haven't put it in yet,"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm a time traveler. I was given this exact box from a future version of myself. Inside, a key and a letter to myself,"

"Okay..."

"It led me here, meaning that our timelines intercept here,"

"So you're saying we were destined to meet eachother?"

"No, just timel..."

"You're a lousy flirt,"

"I'm not flirting,"

"Prove it,"

I stood up, skulled my tea so fast it dripped down my chin, and went off, "Alright then!"

"So this is the TARDIS?" she asked, walking around it.

"The one and only," I pushed open the doors and walked inside.

"Doctor?" She said, running back around the TARDIS looking for where I had gone, until she came across the front.

Her mouth dropped, her arms unfolded and she grasped the doors on each side, "What..."

"Bigger on the inside," I said smugly, now crossing my arms.

"How do you fit all this inside that little box?"

"Time Lord technology," I said, placing my hand on the activation lever, "Need any more proof?"

"Not really, this is more than enough," She began circling the walls, "What happens if somebody blows a hole in the side?"

"What?"

"Well, is the middle of the outside the same as the middle on the inside?"

"Well..."

"Let's say you poked a knife through the outside wall, where would the knife appear inside?"

"It wouldn't,"

"What?"

"The outside is first, second, and third dimensions, the inside is forth, forth, and sixth,"

"Alright... what?"

"No time to explain, we need to figure out what's up with this house, and why I gave your box to myself,"

I left the TARDIS and knocked on the door, placing my ear on the door again.

"What do you hear?" Maia said, peering around the TARDIS.

"A breeze... or..."

"Or?"

I looked up at her, fear beginning to whell up inside "Or not a breeze. That's what scares me,"

"How?"

"Is this house made entirely out of wood?"

"I think so, yeah,"

"Are there any local builders?"

"Hello!"

"Hello," A gruff large man sat on a chair flipping through a magazine.

"I'm the Doctor," I held out a psychic paper.

"Aspestos removal service?"

I looked at the paper, "Yep, I'm here to... remove your aspestos,"

"So you're here about that house..."

"Yep, where'd you get the wood from,"

"What does that have anything to do with it?"

"I've got a theory,"

"A theory?"

As I talked Maia just stood around we with her arms folded as she usually held them.

"Yes, I believe aspestos comes from the wood,"

The man shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, "I'm sorry sir, but... There isn't any aspestos in the house,"

"There isn't?"

"It's nothing,"

"So you're lying about the aspestos?"

"Well..."

"I'm a government official, sir,"

"Yes, but there is something in there, some rabid animal,"

"So you made up a lie about aspestos to stop any curiosity,"

"Mmhm,"

"How may people have gone missing?"

"Six, last was a week ago. We'll be demolishing it soon,"

"That is the _last_ thing you will do!" I said sternly, pointing my finger.

"And why do you get a say in this?"

"Because I'm the only one who might know what that creature is!"

"An aspestos remover?"

"It seems everybody likes to lie about aspestos," I said, "Where did you get the wood from?"

The man sank into his seat, "There's a forest nearby, all the houses in the town are built from it,"

I thanked him leaving the room. Maia, who seemed to not be paying attention, ran out behind me.

"So where are we going now?" She asked.

"The forest," I answered, "No need for litmus paper now,"

"How would that even work? Isn't that for pH levels?"

"I sonic it,"

Inside the TARDIS, I sat next to the box on a seat, looking at it.

"Are you alright?" she asked, sitting next to me.

"Yeah, I'm alright,"

"Wait, is that my shoe box?" she grabbed the box and looked at it.

"It looks... old..."

"It is. I was given it by my future self. I know where the box came from, and the letter, just not the key," I opened the box and pulled out the key. Maia looked at it, "It's not one I recognize," she said.

"I thought not,"

I stood up and flicked switches of the TARDIS, then we were off into the forest.

"Maia, I want you to stay here,"

"Why? Don't you trust me?

"I do, but I'm afraid what I might find is far out of the range of trust," I said, approaching the exit of the TARDIS, "I have the sneaking suspicion that what's causing these deaths are things called Vasta Nerada,"

"Odd, what are they?"

"Dust sized bugs, fast, but harmless; until you meet a lot of them,"

"I should be fine, then,"

"No, I've seen them before, slaughtered an entire squadron,"

"What were you doing with a squadron for?"

"Hunting Daleks,"

"Is that even a word?.."

"Yep. Stay here," I began to close the door, but she stopped me.

"No, I'll be fine,"

"They can kill you in an instant, Maia,"

"Clearly they can't,"

"How would you know?"

"If they could, you wouldn't be going out there either,"

I stopped, my mouth seemed unable to open.

"They can, instantly, but... Not if you stay in the light,"

"Then I'm going, it's final," she smiled and leaned against the console, a smug overconfident look I had seen too often.

We both exited the TARDIS, now with me crossing my arms in frustration.

We found ourselves in a room, surrounded by four people with handguns, pointing them directly at the door of the TARDIS.

"Who are you?" One of them ordered.

I pulled out my psychic papers, "Your higher in command,"

"You're not her..." The soldier said, aiming properly down his sights.

"Middle tier, I work for her. She gave me this,"

An ood walked up to me and took the psychic paper, then went back to the officer.

"This is psychic paper,"

"Bugger," I said.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Maia asked, nervously.

"Doctor?" One of the troopers asked, " _The_ Doctor?"

"You'd think the TARDIS would have given it away," I said.

"TARDIS?"

"How do you know about me, but not the TARDIS?"

The trooper gasped, stood forth and saluted, "Forgive me, Doctor, I didn't recognize your new face! I'm Peter, by the way," he held out his hand to shake.

"I'm not a commander, so stop saluting! What are we doing here?" I ignored his gesture.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," The seargent said, lowering his gun, "A few people have gone missing in this forest, we sent in police, they went missing,"

"So you send in the military. What year is this?"

"2132, sir,"

"That explains the Ood," I turned to Maia and said quietly, "Kind of psychic slave race, I save in a couple years,"

"Neat," she said.

As the thirteen soldiers each moved back to their seats, I saw a table with something on it, covered by a sheet.

"You may not want to look," I said to Maia, but she continued to look curiously.

"I'm Jeffer, Seargent Jeffer. This is John and Gretta," the seargent said, pointing towards the two other soldiers

John waved, but remained silent. Gretta seemed to ignore it.

Jeffers continued; "This is one of the bodies we managed to recover," he pulled back the sheet to reveal a body, it's eyes missing.

"It's definitely not Vasta Nerada, then,"

"Vasta what?"

"Imagine ducks when you throw bread at them. They eat you alive. This is different,"

"Alright... Nevertheless, there's something in this forest taking people's eyes, and we're here to stop it,"

"Alright, let's go," I said.

"Hold on a minute Doctor, we need to file paperwork first,"

"I've got a time machine, we can do it yesterday, let's go!"

With each solder, Maia, and I equiped with flashlights and goggles, we set out into the forest.

The trees were swaying in the breeze, the wind talking in mysterious voices, and the leaves and twigs crunching under their feet.

"Whatever is in this forest," I said to Maia, "It is extremely dangerous, I don't want you to leave my side,"

"I won't," she said, "So how is this forest connected to the box?"

"I'm not sure it has anything to do with it," I said, "But I met you right in front of the house built from the wood from the forest, with the same creature inside, it must have some connection,"

"Just because we met near somewhere, doesn't mean it has anything to do with it,"

"But it must, because we're chronological linked, the TARDIS always takes me where I need. Plus, it's a mystery anyway, I solve them in my spare time,"

"What are you, some sort of time traveling Sherlock?"

"Better,"

There were two groups surveying the forest, three of the soldiers went off alone while Maia and I followed Jeffer.

off in the distance, I heard a call, "Seargent, I have a visual,"

All of a sudden, a strong pungent smell came from the distance. One that, while it didn't actually hurt, it made me feel as though I was in immense pain, a sort of discomfort caused by the smell was indescribable.

"It's getting closer... Open fire!"

Gunshots pierced the forest silence, flashes were seen through the trees.

We came upon Gretta's boxy, each with goggles tossed to the side and her eyes missing. Her body seemed to have been trampled on by the bruise on her arm.

"I guess you won't need to close their eyes," Maia joked.

Jeffers looked at her with an offend expression, tragically twisted eyes, mouth screwed up into a wretch, "How could you say something like that?" he cried, "These were my men!"

"I'm sorry," Maia said, "Force of habit,"

"Uh, Seargent? What was th..." John said, running up to the seargent with Peter trailing behind, his face dropping when he saw Gretta's body.

"Oh no,"

"What's that smell?" Peter said, putting his head into the air and sniffing like a dog.

All the people were smelling the same smell I had smelt before.

"Smells terrible," Jeffers said.

"Smells like... pain," Maia said.

I looked at Maia, "You... can feel it too?"

"Feel what?"

"The pain, the smell means pain. I'm not sure why or how, but I know for sure what it means,"

"Yeah, it's interesting,"

"Look, over there!" John said, pointing off into the darkness obscured by a tree and dense bush.

 _Pain_

 _Pain_

 _ **Stop**_

"Everybody, close your eyes!" I shouted, throwing my hands onto my face.

John began to scream in pain, then was silenced.

"Peter, what's going on?" Jeffer's yelped in the darkness.

"I saw it, I looked at it,"

"Peter, do not open your eyes. I need to know what it looked like," I said, reaching out to grab his shoulder, but I couldn't find it.

The smell was changing, something curious was happening.

"It was thin, tall, and very fast, brown I think. I believe it's... It's breathing on me..."

"No, it's smelling you. That must be how they communicate,"

"What?"

Maia began to talk, "Please, let us go, we don't want to hurt you, just let us go,"

The smell began to morph again into something different. No longer was it anger, and pain, but instead mercy.

"Doctor, it's touching me!"

"Don't open your eyes, not even for a second!"

The being came towards me, I smelt it's stench get closer, it's heat, approach.

"Hello," I said, my voice somehow shaking, "I'm the Doctor,"

 _Curiosity_

"I know, you don't understand how I'm talking to you, but I am,"

 _Acknowledgement_

"We don't want to hurt you, will you please let us go?"

 _Three_

"Oh, that's so weird!" I exclaimed, about the strange new smells I had never smelt before.

"What does it mean, three?" Maia asked, I could hear her voice shaking violently.

"What are you talking about?" Jeffers demanded loudly.

"Yeah, I'm freaking out!" Peter said.

"I'm sorry Peter, you've seen it,"

"What do you mean?!"

"Pain, whenever somebody sees it. Us observing it causes it pain! Why else would they remove people's eyes, other than to stop them seeing? Death is just a side effect,"

"That actually makes sense," Maia said, "How do we get back to the TARDIS?"

"Good thinking," I said.

 _Not all_

"Why do you want him dead so badly? He won't look at you again!"

 _He saw_

"He's sorry!" Maia yelled.

"It's touching me again!" Peter said.

"Don't worry, it can't remove your eyes unless you open them, do _not_ open them!"

"Hold hands, everybody!" Maia said, reaching out her hands.

"What?" Jeffers said.

"We need to get back to the TARDIS together, without opening our eyes. This is the best way," I gasped Maia's hand tight.

"Jeffers, Peter, are you attached?" I called out.

"I'm here, Peter?" Jeffers called, I could feel him tugging on Maia's hand, "Peter, where are you?"

There was silence.

The smell was back again. Instead of pain, it was something else. "I think he's dead," I said, "I'm sorry,"

When I entered the forest, I thought it was the wind speaking it's strange language. Now I realize it's the beings of the woods, now all around us, following us, watching.

Soft snaps of twigs followed us as we walked together through the blackend void, I would feel the occasional thing brush against my arm. Whether it was a branch, leaf, or a hand, I did not know.

"Aggh!" Maia screamed, she squezed my hand incredibly tightly, slipping slightly with the hot sweat dripping off both of our hands. We were all tugged to a halt.

"Maia, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think I hit a tree,"

"Are you sure it was a tree?" Jeffers asked.

With that question, we all stood in silence. The chill of the forest now was crawling up my spine.

We all tip toed around the thing which Maia had bumped into, and walked back towards to shack.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Maia asked.

"It's East, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Jeffers answered.

"We're going the right way,"

"How can you tell which way we're going?"

"I have an acute directional awareness," I joked.

Suddenly, we all were stopped dead on by a wall with a loud thud.

"Where's the door handle?" I asked.

A smell, one which I could not understand, was growing increasingly stronger.

"It should be around here somewhere," Jeffers said, patting the wall for the handle.

"They're getting closer!" Maia called.

"I'm going to have to open my eyes," Jeffers said.

"You will do no such thing!" I said.

"I have to, or else we'll all be stuck out there with these things!"

"You could die!"

"It's a price I'm willing to pay to save you, Doctor,"

"Yet another person, trying to play the hero," I said, "When will you learn that I can save myself!"

"Doctor," Maia said.

"Not now, Ma..."

"You need to realize that you need saving too sometimes,"

"Maia!"

"It's true, you're not invincible!"

"Are you suggesting that he dies for me?"

"No, but... There's a chance he won't,"

"She's right, Doctor,"

"Bu..." I decided it wasn't worth the time, "Fine, but only for a split second!"

I waited as he opened his eyes.

"Oh god, it's hideous!"

 _Pain_

"Jeffers, I told you!"

"It's alright, Doctor. Everything is going to be alright,"

The sound of a door opening echoed through the forest.

"Go through, I'll be alright,"

"No you won't!"

"Trust me, Doctor!" Jeffers pulled me and Maia into the room, "Run, now!"

Maia and I both ran as fast as we could, the TARDIS beamed out a call for me to hear.

The smell of the beings came from right behind us, coming towards us. We quickly ran inside, slamming the doors behind us, hearing Jeffers screams muffled by the doors of the TARDIS, echoing through the shed.


End file.
